NaijaSky

Rachael was said to be living with Ifatunmibi, but usually ran to Funmilola’s house anytime she was beaten for misbehaving.

Samuel said, “My wife and I had no fight. In fact, we woke up on the same bed on Friday, October 26, when this incident happened. The issue was among my wife, her mother and the niece.

“The niece, Rachael, is very stubborn. Whenever her grandmother corrected her, she would run to my place to meet my wife because we all live within the same neighbourhood. This usually caused disagreement between my wife and her mother. The mother usually cursed her for indulging Rachael. I heared her saying that nobody could take Rachael away from her because she had been nurturing her since she was a baby and my wife used to say that she was going to kill herself over it.

“I was working when I received a call that my wife drank Sniper. They even said before she drank the insecticide, she had taken a local rat poison in the presence of her parents, but people gave her palm oil. It was after that attempt that she went out to buy Sniper and drank it before they could stop her.

“My thinking is that when she was rescued after taking the rat poison, it should be clear to them that she meant it when she said she would commit suicide. So, they should not have released her to go back to her shop alone; what were they thinking? It means that they killed her, because she died in their presence.”

Ifatunmibi told PUNCH Metro that she had on several occasions cautioned her daughter against encouraging Rachael’s misconduct.

She explained that Funmilola had already taken the rat poison before coming to her place, adding that efforts to prevent her from drinking the Sniper proved abortive.